St Paul's Girls' School

Focus 

Academic excellence with creative energy

Day fees 2025/26

$50,600-$54,600

Term dates

• Term 1: 1 September to 12 December 2025
• Term 2: 5 January to 27 March 2026
• Term 3: 20 April to 3 July 2026

Ages

11-18

Pupil count

833

Spear’s Review

Set in Hammersmith in West London, St Paul’s Girls’ School (SPGS) is extremely competitive, with a stellar reputation for academic excellence. It offers a classical but forward-looking education and excellent pastoral care to academically gifted girls from the very top classes of a very broad range of schools.

Pupils achieve impressive academic results, and a significant number of students go on to study at the best universities in the UK and internationally. 

Music, sport and STEM are thriving areas, and students of all ages and skill levels are encouraged to get involved. Drama is particularly beloved by students, with over 20 stage productions put on per year alongside guest lessons from professionals in the entertainment industry.

Academics

In 2025:

• 99 per cent of GCSE results were grades 7-9
• 89 per cent of A-Level results were A* or A

Head teacher

Liz Hewer was appointed high mistress of SPGS in 2025. After reading geography at Cambridge, Hewer taught at a number of the UK’s leading public schools, including Marlborough College and RGS Guildford. Before SPGS, she served as the head of St George’s Ascot. She is chair of the boarding committee at the Girls’ Schools Association.

University and college destinations

In 2025, 40 per cent of students in SPGS’s graduating class secured places at Oxford or Cambridge.

Admissions

According to the school, the main ages of admission are 11 and 16. At 11+, a pre-test is taken in the autumn term of Year 6, and those who pass sit a further test in January, which includes maths, English and problem-solving. Those who do well are then invited for an interview. SPGS is looking for candidates who can reason, articulate and show quality of thought. The school is committed to making an SPGS education available to the brightest students whatever their means and has an active fundraising campaign dedicated to raising funds to double the number of students on a bursary in the next 10 years.

Notable alumnae

Notable ‘Old Paulinas’ include:

• Baroness Valentine (politician)
• Carol Thatcher (journalist)
• Julia Hoggett (CEO of London Stock Exchange)
• Rachel Weisz (actress)

Accessibility

Heathrow Airport: 30 minutes

Location

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